Double Duty: A Multimouse Appreciation Week Story
by CaptainMalcolmReynolds
Summary: Marinette is under so much stress as Ladybug, that being the guardian is sometimes too much. She finally asks for help, but decides that if Chat can blow off steam when transformed, she can too... as Multimouse!
1. Squeaking By

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is tired. Not just sleepy, although she is that; not just ready for a break, although she desperately needs one. Marinette is exhausted to the very core of her being. She has all the typical stresses of a teenage girl: school, friendships, an unrequited crush that she is desperately trying to get over. She has the normal stressers of people living in today's Paris the fear of akumatization, of being manipulated and turned against everyone you love, because some megalomaniac wants to steal jewelry from a couple of kids. The trouble is, she's one of those kids with the magic jewelry.

The biggest problem in Marinette's life right now is the fact that she is not only Ladybug, the most sought after of the city's superheroes, and the only one who can purify the akumas, but the guardian of the miraculous. Her mentor lost his memory when circumstances forced him to revoke his guardianship, and she was left with nobody to turn to. Nobody who she could have no secrets from, at least.

Chat Noir, the only other full time superhero, found freedom in his miraculous form, where she had only found pressure. She'd enjoyed the freedom of not having to make all the decisions, even though she had, ultimately, helped Mister Bug come up with the plan. She needed to familiarize herself with all the Kwami, as their guardian, but for patrol, she thought that she could let them go back to previous wielders, and she could take Mullo, hopefully avoiding too much suspicion.

She ran her idea past Chat, and he loved it, offering to pair up with some of the newer recruits in the beginning, and let them pair with each other as they became more comfortable. Having the work spread over more hands, as well as well as having users who were more in tune with their kwamis was a comfort all around to Marinette.

The first two that they spent time with were Rena Rouge and Carapace, the most familiar of the temporary heroes, slowly rotating through them all, taking turns, talking about which heroes to pair up with each other in order to balance well. Rena and Carapace were a natural duo, as were Pegasus and King Monkey. Ryuko and Queen Bee were less obvious, but Ryuko could handle Queenie's attitude, and Queen Bee respected Ryuko's skill as a fighter. That left Viperion to be paired with Multimouse, while Chat paired with Ladybug. Marinette was doing double duty, but they both agreed to tag along with the other teams, occasionally, and Marinette was content to let Chat go out more often than she.

Ladybug would drop off the Miraculous to the two on patrol that night, occasionally accompanying them for a little while, other times just telling the pair where to meet up. A schedule had been worked up for patrol, letting people plan their lives around patrol, and accommodating those who occasionally had plans later in the evenings.

It was Multimouse's night for patrol, and she absolutely loved the freedom that came with pairing with Mullo and it definitely didn't hurt that Chat had suggested that she pair with Viperion. Luka had been her rock since she had become the guardian. Not that he knew anything about that, but he'd been there for Marinette, whenever she needed him, whether it was as a shoulder to cry on, a tutor for homework, or just as friends hanging out. He would show up when she needed him, and never pressure her about anything.

Marinette thought that she would always feel something for Adrien, but she knew that would never work out, and was moving on. She had always found Luka attractive, and the more she got to know him, the more she felt drawn to his quiet strength and calm exterior. Feeling braver under a mouse mask of anonymity, Marinette decided that she was going to have a little fun while patrolling with him.

Luka had been surprised when Ladybug had caught him on the deck of the Liberty, asking if he wanted to continue being Viperion. Being unable to say no to one of the heroes of Paris, he nodded, watching the smile break across his face. As she explained what they were planning, how he would spend time with either her or Chat to start with, then he would have a partner to patrol with. He'd not seen Multimouse in action… there'd been nothing about her on the Ladyblog, either; not that there had been much about him, but at least he'd been mentioned.

Multimouse had only been out once, from what Ladybug had said. She'd done a fantastic job when both Ladybug and Chat Noir had lost their kwamis to an akuma, saving the day, but then had revealed her identity to Chat, making her a target, so she hadn't been brought out again. He leaned against the chimney of the roof on which he was to meet Multimouse, pulling out his lyre, gently strumming a tune, closing his eyes while he waited.

Scampering across the rooftops, Multimouse heard Viperion before she saw him, music floating up towards her, a song of anticipation and nervous energy. One more rooftop, and she saw him. One foot braced against the chimney, back resting lightly against it, eyes closed, head tipped back towards the night sky, hands cradling the lyre like he would his guitar if he were in his civilian clothes.

She landed silently on the roof. Although she was new to partnering with Mullo, she wasn't new to being transformed, and the muscle memory was there, no matter the form, she just had to stop herself from reaching for her yo-yo.

Taking a few steps towards her new partner, Viperion sensed her and opened his eyes, a small smile playing around the corners of his lips. "You must be my new partner. I'm Viperion." He held out his hand for her to shake, pausing briefly as their eyes met, and he seemed to take note of something, but his smile didn't waver.

Sending him a teasing smile, Multimouse looked up into his green eyes. "Hi! I'm Multimouse!" Her smile grew wider as she appraised him. "And I'm a little nervous to be paired with a snake!"

The look she sent him had him wondering which one of them should truly be afraid, but he just offered her an easy smile. "Ladybug said that we didn't have any set route, just a general area to run through. Did you want to start anywhere in particular?"

Multimouse's tail twitched, and a wicked grin spread over her face. "Want to start at the Montparnasse Tower?" When Viperion nodded, she was off, before throwing back over her shoulder, "race you there!"

She was leaping off the next rooftop over when Viperion's laughter rolled over her, and she heard him land of the roof she'd just vacated. His much longer stride helped him keep up with her, so while he was closing the gap, it was painstakingly slowly.

Her breathless giggles traveled back to him on the wind, and he almost stumbled at the familiar ache it caused in him, but seeing her pink cheeks, flushed with happiness and exertion, and the wide smile she gave him as he landed behind her, only a few seconds slower to reach their destination, he knew that her happiness was worth more than anything.

Luka was pretty sure that an akuma could walk right up to him and he probably wouldn't notice. He's being a terrible superhero, he knew, paying more attention to the girl by his side, especially since she keeps flirting with him, but at that moment, he didn't care, and he knew that Ladybug wouldn't object, either.


	2. Mousetrap

A few more patrols and Luka felt he was finally able to handle his reaction to Multimouse flirting with him. The way she'd run her hand down his arm, smiling up at him, or the looks she threw over her shoulder, encouraging him to chase her no longer made him spontaneously combust. He had spent time meditating and was prepared for anything she could throw at him.

He heard Multimouse land on the roof behind him. He was always the first to arrive, a combination of the fact that she always loses track of time so easily and that he needed time to prepare himself for seeing her in that adorable pink and grey mask and mouse-ear buns. He continued to strum the lyre, keeping himself calm and grounded and ready for anything.

"Hey Viperion! I'm so sorry I'm late! Oh, that tune is just amazing! Everything you play just makes my heart feel so much lighter." Her earnestness did him in as her eyes searched his rapidly reddening face. "Do you sing? Can I hear you sometime? I bet your voice is as beautiful as your playing. I mean it is when you talk but…" She blushed pink realizing what she was saying.

_Except that. _Viperion thought to himself. He hadn't prepared himself for the compliments, and his face was burning. He looked away from her, clearing his throat a couple of times before the words would come out. "Yeah, I sing. Not all that often, but I can."

Multimouse's eyes flashed back to his, huge and round and lit with excitement. "Would you sing for me sometime?"

He started to nod, but the flash of something behind her head immediately caught his attention. They both heard the screams at the same moment and turned to see the akuma coming towards them. Multimouse's hand went straight for her hip, but realized she was wearing the wrong suit. Viperion grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a sheltered part of the roof.

"Marinette. You need to change. Ladybug is needed more than Multimouse right now."

Multimouse's mouth popped open into a shocked O and scared eyes met his. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't want anyone to know, but right now, this is more important than secrets."

Gathering her thoughts she nodded simply. There would be time to talk about this later, but now was the time to fight. Glancing around, she dropped her transformation, offering Mullo a snack and calling for Tikki.

Luka was reeling. It was one thing to know that Marinette was both Multimouse and Ladybug, and a completely different thing to see her flash through so many identities in such rapid succession. He was still staring as she stepped closer and said his name softly. "Viperion. _Viperion. Luka!"_

Shaking himself out of his trance, he looked over at Ladybug who had a very unprofessional smirk on her face. Her blue eyes were sparkling with both humor and fear as she sauntered over to him, dropping a kiss on his cheek. "Fight now. Talk later."

It was Viperion's turn to nod, as they turned together and ran across the rooftops to fight the akuma. The fight fast and straightforward, taking only a few minutes, before

Ladybug was purifying the akuma. A few seconds later, her yo-yo rang, and Chat's face appeared on the screen. "I'm on my way, Milady."

"It's over, Chat. I'm heading out, I've only got a few minutes. Multimouse has already detransformed. Viperion is here, though, if you want a recap?"

Chat grinned. "Thanks, but I'll pass. You and me on patrol tomorrow?"

Ladybug nodded as her earrings beeped, and closed her yo-yo. She looked up at Viperion questioningly. "Do you want to come back to my house? We really need to talk." At his nod, she lead the way towards her house, dropping into an alley near her home when her transformation was about to drop.

Tikki smiled at Viperion before she dove into Marinette's purse, alongside Mullo, to eat and recharge. Marinette let out a squeak as Viperion scooped her into his arms, and leaped back up to the rooftops, running the last few blocks and landing on her balcony. After seeking Marinette's permission, he dropped his transformation, and just stood there, wishing for something in his hands, lyre or guitar.

Marinette invited him into her room, and they sat together on her bed, leaning back against the wall. Her hand found its way into Luka's, and he cradled it reverently.

"How long have you known?"

"That you were Ladybug? I've suspected almost since the beginning. That you were Multimouse? Since you showed up claiming to be my new partner."

She rested her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for always being there for me. You have no idea how much that means." She sat up, suddenly, struck by a thought. "I know you wouldn't, but I have to say it, anyway. You can't tell anyone, not even Chat. Especially not Chat." Her face pinched, lines of worry now etched into it. "He knows who Multimouse is. Long story, but I used an illusion to show Ladybug and Multimouse together, and that Multimouse was Marinette."

"So by being both Multimouse and Ladybug, you're still doing twice as much work as everyone else."

"That's the other part. I'm also the guardian. I'm the keeper of all the miraculous. I _have_ to do more than anyone else."

Luka pulled Marinette into his arms, hugging her tightly. "If you ever need to skip out on a patrol, just let me know. I will always cover for you. I can't even begin to fathom just how much you do for this city."

"Oh, Luka, you don't understand. Becoming Multimouse, not having to worry about Ladybug's duties, just getting to be myself, spending that time with you… that's my favorite part."

He felt the blush creeping up his neck as she was talking, and he turned his head to look at her, forgetting how close together they were. His nose almost brushed hers, and he could feel her warm breath on his cheek. He felt, rather than heard, her soft gasp as her eyes locked on to his. "Marinette, I…" he didn't finish, because Marinette leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. The contact was feather soft and over almost before it started, but it set his heart racing as he stared into her bottomless blue eyes.

One hand came up to cup her cheek, and he leaned towards her, watching her eyelids flutter closed. Their lips met, for more than just a flutter this time, and Luka's eyes slid closed, swearing to himself to protect this precious person from everything in this world, including herself.


	3. Lab Rat

Luka was laying on Marinette's chaise idly stroking her hair as she sat looking at the miracle box. "I think I should get to know all the kwami. I've been learning about them, and what they do, but I haven't tried all of them out yet. I've worn practically all of them, but I didn't transform with them. I'm thinking maybe I should. I've used both Longg and Trixx in combination with Ladybug and Multimouse respectively, although Trixx is now with Rena. Plagg has been my kwami both on his own and combined with Mullo. And I've used both Mullo and Tikki together.

Luka sat up, pulling his girlfriend onto the chaise and into his lap. "Did you want to try out other kwamis, then?" He asked, as her head rested against him. When she nodded into his shoulder, he smiled into her hair. "Did you want to start with Sass? We could switch for a little while. Maybe go for a run, or find a quiet rooftop tonight, or an abandoned building."

Marinette pulled back a little and looked him over, assessing. She glanced up at Tikki who also looked thoughtfully at Luka, before smiling at Marinette and giving her a thumbs up. "You're on. We'll switch tonight. If that works, there's something else I want to try!" Smiling, Luka kissed her forehead, already thinking about what he would try in the mouse costume.

They waved goodbye to Marinette's parents, claiming they were out for a walk and made their way over to the school and up to the roof. Luka pulled off his bracelet and handed it to Marinette. She smiled up at him, but instead of unclasping her necklace as he expected, she reached up to her earlobes and held out her earrings. Luka just gaped at her, eyes darting between her face and the earrings resting gently in her palm.

Hesitantly, he reached out and took the earrings, securing them in his ears, tucking his earrings into his pocket. Marinette nodded at him, her smile radiant, and called for Sass to transform her. Luka quickly followed suit, and they looked each other over. Luka wore almost the reverse of what Chat had worn when he was Mister Bug, with dark panels over his abdomen, and shoulders, black books up to his knees, while his sides, arms and thighs were all red with black spots. His hair was jet black, and his eyes their normal shade of blue.

The new snake hero grinned up at him, mischievously. "Aww… Ladybug, you got hot!"

A blush crept up the new Ladybug's neck, but he looked down at his girlfriend's smirking face. "That's Scarlet Beetle to you, Snake!" The snake just poked her tongue out at him.

She was wearing a dark teal suit that was very plain, but had lighter teal accents around the neck and forearms outlining the suit, and a lighter teal bandolier to which the lyre was attached on her back like a quiver. The legs of her suit also faded from dark teal to light teal on her boots. She grinned at him. "The name's Medusa. I remember learning when we studied mythology that it means 'guardian' and I thought it was appropriate."

The pair raced cautiously across the rooftops, mostly sticking to the shadows, until they came to the financial district, an area that was mostly empty at night. They both tested out their weapons, Medusa able to play surprisingly well on the lyre, and Scarlet Beetle a natural with the yo-yo. After about fifteen minutes of practice, Medusa looked up at Scarlet Beetle. Without breaking eye contact, she called out, "Sass, Mullo, unify!" There was a brief flash, and the light teal portions of her costume had turned pink, and a pink jump rope had materialized around her waist.

"I wanted to see if I was Multimouse, and one of me used Second Chance, if all the parts of me would remember, or if I would only remember when I came back together again. They experimented together, calling on Multitude, and then Scarlet Beetle told her a joke. She called for second chance, flicking back in time. It turned out that only the Multisnake wearing the bracelet remembered the joke and punchline, but when they call came back together, she did remember.

Having just detransformed in order to recharge both Sass and Mullo, they heard a telltale screaming just a few streets over. Immediately transforming into Multimouse, she beckoned the slightly stunned Scarlet Beetle to follow her, ignoring his suggestion of trading back. She did hand him the snake miraculous back, which was comforting, but he really wished she'd have taken the earrings as well.

The akuma was not a difficult one, and Multimouse and Scarlet Beetle were just working through a plan for Scarlet Beetle's lucky charm when Chat Noir showed up. He turned out to be the missing element for the lucky charm, and they were able to defeat the akuma pretty quickly after that. His miraculous was beeping, but Multimouse's wasn't, so while he slipped behind the chimney to recharge, she stayed to talk to Chat.

She told him that she only knew what Scarlet Beetle had told her, but she did know he was Viperion. Ladybug had asked him to cover for her for the day as she was going to be unavailable. She would have gone to Chat, but the only two miraculous that couldn't be combined were the Ladybug and the black cat. Acknowledging this truth, Multimouse continued that neither of them had seen Ladybug's identity, and that when Viperion realized he had the earrings he was surprised.

Chat nodded. "That's Ladybug, always three steps ahead of everyone else. Viperion is definitely a good choice, he's a creative soul. I was Ladybug once, you know." He couldn't suppress the shudder at the memory. "She makes it look easy, but it isn't."

"You can say that again." It was Viperion who emerged from behind the chimney. "I much prefer this job to that one. No offense Tikki." He looked at the little red kwami who was cheerfully devouring a chocolate chip cookie. She smiled at him, crumbs falling from the corner of her mouth. "Even with everything I've seen, this is definitely the better gig.

Multimouse smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "You did a great job, Viperion. I feel safer knowing that both of you are around to back up Ladybug should she ever need it!" Both Chat and Viperion smiled at her. Chat offered a two-fingered salute and disappeared off to wherever he had appeared from, while Multimouse and Viperion headed back to an alley near the bakery.

They changed back to their civilian selves, and Luka handed the earrings back to Marinette. Walking the last few blocks back to the bakery, they loitered just outside the door as Luka stroked a thumb across Marinette's cheek. In answer, she reached up and cupped his face with both her hands. "Thank you, Luka. It really does mean a lot to me knowing that you are able to back me up, should anything happen." She pushed up on her toes, one of her hands sliding into his hair, gently guiding his mouth down to hers.

They stayed outside, kissing tenderly, until Tom stuck his head out the door. "Sorry to interrupt, kids, but it's getting late, and I want to make sure Luka makes it home OK."

Both teens were instantly blushing bright red, but Marinette kissed Luka's cheek. "Let me know when you get home, alright?"

He nodded, and gave her one more hug, before grabbing his bike from the rack outside the house, snapping on his helmet and pedaling home.


	4. Mini Mouse

Marinette had a new favorite hobby. She discovered that while Luka was wonderfully sensitive to her moods, and always said just the right thing to make her smile, he was terrible at taking a compliment. Whether she was being sassy or sincere, his face erupted in flames whenever she praised him. So, naturally, Marinette made it a habit of casually saying nice things in conversation to see Luka get all flustered.

One rainy Friday evening, knowing that Juleka was staying over at Rose's house, Marinette headed over to the Liberty. She greeted Anarka as she made her way down to the room that Luka shared with Juleka. Before she entered, she quickly transformed into Multimouse and then knocked on Luka's door. Looking up from his homework, he grinned at her, shoving his chair back, and beckoning her into the room. She walked over to his bed and patted the spot next to her, inviting him to come and join her.

When he did, she kissed him briefly, but scooted away, leaving him leaning towards her, when she surprised him with a cry of 'multitude'! Suddenly there were a dozen tiny Marinettes, running around on the bed, all vying for his attention.

Each Minimouse started complimenting him. Two of them start stroking his fingers, telling him how talented he is and what beautiful music he makes. Another couple scramble up to his shoulders whispering into his ear how kind and caring and thoughtful he is. How much they appreciate him, and everything that he does for them.

Two more perch on his arm, near his miraculous, telling him what an amazing job he does as Viperion, and how much Ladybug appreciates his hard work. They tell him that he is not only a hero to Paris, but a hero to her as well. Another two have followed their friends up to his shoulders, and into his hair, but instead of complimenting him, just peppered him with tiny kisses, and stroked his hair and face.

Two more perched on his knees, telling him how strong he is. How proud they are of him for working so hard as a civilian, for taking care of his sister, and everyone else around him. One Minimouse makes her way into the inside pocket of his hoodie, the one Marinette sewed there for Sass, and just snuggled close with her ear against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

The final Multimouse just sat down in front of him, gazing up into his eyes, and just sighs to herself about how gorgeous he is, how his eyes sparkle, and how his smile lights up her world.

Underneath this onslaught, Luka felt as if he was about to combust. All of the Minimice are saying such nice things, and he knows that Marinette means every word of it, but it is just so much to take in. He couldn't even cover his face with his hands, or hide away in the pillow, because he was afraid of hurting one of the Minimice.

By the time the five minutes are over, and Multimouse's timer went off, Luka was not sure he could function any longer. He desperately needed to kiss Marinette, not only to make her stop talking, but because he wanted to show her how much he loved her. As he felt the miniature version of his girlfriend sliding off of him, all being pulled together back into one normal-sized Marinette, he reached blindly towards her, crushing her to him.

He cuts off whatever it is she is starting to say by pressing his lips to hers, desperate for her to feel even a fraction of the love she has shown him over the past few minutes. He's beyond grateful when she doesn't resist, although he can feel her smiling against his mouth, her hands came up to tangle in his hair with a happy hum.

When they finally surface for air, she repeats the words that all of her miniatures selves had chorused to him right before becoming her normal size. "I love you, Luka."

He rested his forehead against hers, his fingers lazily tracing patterns on her back, trying to hide just how utterly wrecked by her he was. He took a few more steadying breaths, the blush finally starting to face from his face, as he whispered, right before their lips met again, "I love you, too, Marinette."


	5. Say Cheese

Alya Cesaire was desperate to get pictures of Multimouse tonight. Those who had seen her had said that she was an extraordinarily beautiful young woman, but no clear pictures of her had been taken. Using her knowledge of the patrol rotation, she knew that Multimouse would be out with Viperion tonight, and had managed to wheedle out of Chat the last time they were on patrol together, which section of Paris they would be patrolling.

Chat had misinterpreted her intention, muttering "Snakes seemed to be all the rage these days, and everyone forgets about the cute little kitties." Rena had snorted and said that she simply preferred reptiles, thinking of a certain turtle, but Chat just huffed and told her what she wanted to know.

Assuming that his jealousy stemmed from last week's piece the Ladyblog had published on Viperion, part of a series spotlighting the new heroes, but as Multimouse came into view, she wondered if it could be something more.

She heard the laughter before she spotted them, Multimouse scampering across a nearby rooftop with Viperion a few steps behind. As they reached a particularly flat area, Viperion dove for her, capturing her around the waist, pulling her to the ground. In an amazing show of agility, he twisted his body, pulling hers on top of him, so Viperion was the one who took the impact of their bodies hitting the roof.

Alya snapped a few photos as Multimouse hopped to her feet, extending her hand down to help Viperion up. Multimouse turned just enough for Alya to get a clear shot of her face, and Alya realized what she'd heard had been true. A beautiful young woman with sparkling blue eyes, and two dark buns resting like mouse ears on the top of her head. Her costume was mostly grey, with black around the calves, forearms and neck, a ring of pink separating the grey from the black. Her grey and pink mask only highlighted the pink of her cheeks, and her smile made even Alya's heart flutter.

Viperion, too, seemed very taken with her, one hand lingering on her arm after she helped him to his feet, checking her over for injuries. Multimouse said something to him that Alya couldn't hear, and to her surprise, Viperion blushed. She continued taking pictures as Multimouse leaned into her partner, placing a chaste kiss on his mouth, before stepping back, and with a grin that was downright wicked, wrapped her tail around his leg, and pulled him to the ground before taking off again.

Viperion sat up laughing and looked around, noticing Alya for the first time, and shot her a wink, before hopping to his feet and sprinting after Multimouse. OK… she could definitely see why Chat was jealous of the snake. Those two were adorable together, although it wasn't like Chat was interested in Multimouse. He'd always been in love with Ladybug.

Alya smiled to herself and hurried home to create her latest blog post.

* * *

"Did you read it? Did you see?" Alya was waving her phone in front of her friends as they all sat in class together, waiting for the arrival of their teacher. "Aren't they just ADORABLE?"

Marinette, who was running late, as usual, and hadn't checked the Ladyblog that morning looked at her friend in confusion, but Adrien, who always had a tab open to the Alya's site grinned up at Marinette. Grabbing Alya's wrist to steady the phone, Marinette gasped and blushed at the picture. There were several pictures posted, including one of Viperion shooting the photographer a wink, but there was one that drew the eyes immediately.

She knew that the kiss had just been a sweet little peck, nothing inappropriate, but the angle of the picture made it look like Viperion's hands that had been lightly resting at her hips were instead dragging her to him, and with both of their faces slightly pink from the chase, the kiss itself looked much more intense than the reality had been.

Marinette blushed slightly, even though nobody knew it was her. She looked at Alya. "Didn't you learn the _last_ time that you posted pictures of the heroes kissing on your blog?" She didn't add that both times they were pictures of _her_ kissing different guys, but she couldn't remember the kiss with Chat, only the photo evidence that it had actually happened. Had that been blown out of context like this one appeared to be?

"And look!" Alya was squealing. "One of the people on my blog, painfullyconfused, came up with the name MultiPython for them. Isn't that ADORABLE?"

Adrien was grinning up at her and Alya, nodding, while Nino was trying to look invested in the heroes' love lives. Adrien was looking at Marinette a little more intently than the situation seemed to warrant. Marinette had been officially dating Luka for a month now and had no problem with who knew it, but she was a little sad that this would be the first thing people saw when they thought of Multimouse.

She pulled out her phone to text Luka.

M: Hey. Have you seen the Ladyblog?

L: Not today. Did she get pictures of you?

M: Of us.

M: Can we meet for lunch?

L: Sorry. Meeting for a group project. After school?

M: I can save my freak out until then.

L: That bad?

M: Alya can't stop showing me.

L: I'll check it out.

L: You're adorable! I'm definitely saving these pictures.

L: Gotta go. Class.

M: Dork.

M: Thanks for making me feel better.

She tucked her phone in her bag just as Mlle. Bustier was walking through the door. Alya was still sighing about how cute the new superhero couple looked together, and Adrien kept throwing her concerned looks, which made Marinette worry more about how she was reacting to the pictures. She smiled at Adrien whenever she caught his eye, but tried to stay focused on the lesson.

Lunch with Alya was tough, because she wanted to analyze every little thing about the pictures. Alya waved off Marinette's objection to the kissing pictures by pointing out that there was no memory loss involved, and both parties were very much aware of what they were doing. When Marinette protested that they didn't know they were having their picture taken, Alya shrugged and said they shouldn't be kissing in public.

Sighing, Marinette asked why she didn't have any pictures of Rena Rouge and Carapace kissing on their patrols, and sat back watching Alya scramble for an explanation of why there were lots of pictures of Rena and Carapace, but none by Alya herself.

Luka was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when school let out, and Marinette practically launched herself at him, burying her face in his shoulder, legs wrapping around his waist when he caught her, staggering only slightly. He laughed softly at her antics, rubbing slow circles into her back as he lowered her to the ground, kissing her forehead.

He slid his hand down her arm until their fingers were interlocked, and she tugged him gently towards the bakery. He waved at Juleka as he was towed along, and she just laughed, acknowledging the unspoken plea that she'd tell their mom where he was. When they were sprawled on the floor of her bedroom, trapdoor open per her father's request, a plate of cookies on her desk, Luka gathered Marinette close to him as she gripped him tightly.

She snuggled her face into his shoulder as the need to fall apart eased. "Thank you, Luka. You always know how to make me feel better." Looking up, Marinette kissed the tip of his nose. "You matter so much to me. I am so lucky to have you in my life." She buried herself back into him, letting out a contented sigh as Luka dropped a kiss into her hair, not noticing the blush that covered his face.


	6. Cat and Mouse

Due to a school event that could not be rescheduled, Viperion had to miss the next patrol that he and Multimouse had together. Chat volunteered to take his place, and so that Thursday saw Chat out running the rooftops with Multimouse. They had an easy camaraderie but for different reasons. Multimouse knew that she was out there with her partner, and Chat knew he was out with his good friend Marinette.

Chat loved how much more free Marinette was with Chat than she was with Adrien, although the past few months, she had definitely been becoming more open with Adrien. Chat supposed that it was Luka's influence on her, and smiled.

Multimouse wasn't sure why Chat kept looking over at her and smiling fondly. When she questioned him, his smile just grew. "I'm happy for you little Mouse. Viperion is good for you. I've never seen you so happy. Do you remember when I visited your balcony and you told me that you were in love with someone who didn't love you back?" When Multimouse nodded warily, he continued, "Was that Luka?"

Multimouse blushed a little bit, but shook her head. "No. That was a fantasy. Someone who was looking for someone else. Luka is…. real. He's been my rock at a tough time in my life. He loved me without having any expectation of me loving him back. He's a quiet, gentle soul, the calm that I need in my chaotic life. Once I let go of the fantasy, my eyes were opened to who was in front of me. And getting to hang out with him while we do this?" She gestured to the view from the rooftop they were perched on."A dream come true."

"I know I'm probably not the best one to say this, it would be better coming from Ladybug, but a word of advice?" Chat shifted uncomfortably, but smiled down at his friend. "Try to stay more professional in the suits." He held up his hands, forestalling any argument she might make. "I know that I don't always act that way with Ladybug, but it is something I'm trying to work on, myself. I've seen how detrimental it can be, and how your feelings can be turned against each other. So, please think about it."

Multimouse looked up at Chat's earnest expression, smiling up at him. "I get it, Chat. The reality wasn't as bad as that picture made it look, but thank you." She reached out, touching his forearm lightly. You've been a good friend to me."

They continued on their lazy circuit around the arrondissement, letting themselves be seen, and checking for trouble. They had almost arrived back where they started when they heard footsteps coming up behind them. Chat spun, ready for a fight, but Multimouse lit up at the familiar step. With a glance at Chat, she grinned up at the newcomer, enveloping him in a tight hug. "Hi, 'Rion."

Viperion tweaked one of her buns. "Hi Mouse." He winked at Chat Noir. "Is the cat behaving himself?"

Multimouse looked over at Chat and grinned mischievously. "Mostly. You know that cats like to chase mice." She paused, and looked up at Viperion, positioning herself to make a quick break. "They're kind of like snakes that way." With those words, she took three quick steps and launched herself off the roof onto the roof of the next building. The boys looked at each other, and with a whoop from Chat, took off after Multimouse.

Chat was quick and agile and had the advantage of almost a year and a half of experience as a hero, but Viperion was taller and stronger, and he was fast. He was used to chasing after Multimouse, and he knew many of her tricks. For her part, Multimouse had the speed and experience but was at a deficit when it came to size.

The boys caught up to Multimouse, running almost stride for stride with each other, although Chat held back, letting Viperion tackle her, but was right there, heading her off, preventing her escape. The three of them were laughing together as they sat there on the roof, hidden from the ground by the half wall that they leaned against, Multimouse sitting between the boys. They sat there laughing and joking for a while, Multimouse's hand sneaking over so that her fingers were entwined with Viperion's, although she kept her shoulder's touching both boys, knowing that Chat was much more relaxed with some kind of physical contact.

Eventually, Viperion stretched and mumbled something about homework. All three stood, and Multimouse surprised Chat by throwing her arms around him in a tight, albeit brief, hug. "Thank you for coming out on patrol with me today! It's always nice to have someone you can learn from."

Viperion coughed to cover his bark of laughter, and Multimouse smiled sweetly up at him, the picture of innocence, until Chat could no longer see her face, then her mouth twisted into a smirk. "Oh, I'm not saying that I don't learn from you, too, Viperion, only that Chat offered me some great advice today."

The three chatted for a few more minutes, before heading their separate ways, Viperion meeting Multimouse back on her balcony. They sat together on her deck chair, Multimouse snuggled into Viperion's lap. "So what was this sage advice that he offered you?"

Multimouse's eyes twinkled as she slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders. "Not to do this in the suits." She leaned forward and caught his lips with hers, and for a few moments, neither of them were thinking of anything other than each other.

When they broke apart, Viperion looked at Multimouse, a gentle smile on his face. "But when we're not heroes we can do that as much as we like?"

Multimouse's smile was eager as she whispered back to him, "Yes please!"


	7. Year of the Rat

Despite the fears and responsibilities that were swamping her just a few short months ago, Marinette had never felt happier. While her sleep had not significantly increased thanks to Hawkmoth's new trend of nighttime akumas, the weight of her responsibilities had lessened, and she felt more energized than ever. Deciding it was time, possibly even to move forward and take the fight to Hawkmoth, Ladybug decided that she needed to talk to Chat about possibly making some of the new holders permanent. They had been carefully watching the pairs, and discussed the holders lives outside of the realm of the miraculous as well as their performance while wearing it.

Rena Rouge and Carapace were easy to agree upon, seeing that they were the first two to receive their miraculous, as well as how useful their powers were. King Monkey was also one they agreed upon, but as a part-time wielder, only. Queen Bee had definitely improved in her attitude and was, mostly, trying as a civilian, but Ladybug wanted to keep her part-time for the present to make sure the trend continued, and Chat found that he couldn't argue with her reasoning.

Both of them liked Ryuko, but after talking over her home life, both with her and amongst themselves, they decided that keeping her part-time would be for the best. Making Viperion full time was also a decision made with very little discussion. The power provided by Second Chance was highly beneficial, and he was someone who could keep his cool in tough situations. He worked hard, both as a hero and a civilian to bring people together, and to help out in any way that he could.

Pegasus was a tough debate, as both of them really appreciated the usefulness of his power, and the quiet determination of the wielder. Chat pointed out that he could be useful in sending Ladybug to get additional Miraculous, but when she reminded him that she kept the Miraculous at her house and in order to send her there, Pegasus would have to know her identity, he broke off that line of argument. Ladybug continued, that while she liked him a lot, he'd only been tested in two battles, and would like to see him tested a bit further before they made him full-time.

Chat Noir eventually brought up Multimouse. Ladybug immediately said no, for the same reasons as Pegasus, that she had only been in two fights, although, in reality, Multimouse had only been present for one. Chat disagreed with her point, saying that the first one that she'd fought in, she had basically been on her own since both Plagg and Tikki had been captured. Not only that, she had used both Cataclysm and Lucky Charm, successfully combining two miraculous with ease, before even they had done it.

Ladybug changed tactics, saying that, like Ryuko, Multimouse was busy outside of being a superhero. Chat shot back with the fact that he was, too, but he knew that Marinette would do anything she could to help out. Ladybug held up her hands, to stop the onslaught of information. The fact that Chat knew Marinette personally was a little frightening to her, but she desperately hoped he was simply referring to the times he'd conversed with her on her balcony, and that one, highly embarrassing brunch they'd promised never to speak of again.

"Yeah. She sits behind me in cla…" He trailed off before he could finish, seeing Ladybug's stricken face, and realized what he had just admitted to. "In clarinet practice. We take clarinet lessons together." He added hastily, and not at all convincingly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have admitted to that, but I don't think Marinette's ever told anyone that she plays the clarinet."

He looked sheepishly up at Ladybug, expecting to see anger or disappointment. What he didn't expect to see was her eyes blown wide in shock, looking frightened. He briefly wondered if Marinette did actually take clarinet lessons, but realized that even if she did, it wouldn't give his identity away since he didn't actually play the clarinet.

"I'm sorry, Chat, I have to go." Ladybug was off the roof and swinging away as fast as her yo-yo could take her. Chat stared after her, a little stunned, and unsure of what was happening as he watched the red shadow fade into the distance. Gathering his wits once again, he decided to head to Marinette's house to apologize, and to explain to her why Ladybug may come asking about clarinet lessons.

While Chat was making his way towards everyone's favorite bakery, Luka was startled awake from the nap he had been taking in the late afternoon sun by a sobbing bundle of Marinette landing on top of him. Gathering her in his arms, he stroked her back and hair, gently kissing her temple, murmuring soothing words until she was calm once again.

"You don't have to talk about it." He murmured into her ear. "But I'm here if you need anything."

She sighed and relaxed into him, peppering little kisses along his jawline. "Thank you." She whispered on an exhalation of air. "I'm trying not to freak out right now, but Chat just inadvertently told me who he was as part of an argument to make Multimouse a full-time miraculous wielder. Which of course I can't be. Only I have no idea how to explain it to him."

Luka lay there for a few minutes, thinking over the options, eyes closed, one hand on the small of her back, the other tangling in her hair. Neither of them noticed a black cat in the shadows of the warehouse roof, across the street from the Liberty, looking down at the couple on the deck, and sighing. They looked too cute and happy to interrupt, and Chat decided he would hunt down Marinette later that night. He doubted Ladybug was likely to both her right now, either.

Opening his eyes, Luka shifted so that he was sitting up, Marinette secure in his lap. "The way I see it, you have 3 options. The first is you continue on as if you have no idea. Pretend that you know nothing, and never say anything to either him or his civilian form. I chose that option, and I was lucky that you forgave me for it. The major difference was that you had no idea that I suspected."

Leaning forward, Marinette captured his lips with hers, cupping his cheek gently, and running her thumb along his cheekbone. "Alright." She asked a little breathlessly. "What are my other options?"

"Your second option is to let him know that you are aware of his civilian identity. I assume he's aware that he gave you a clue as to who he is?"

Marinette nodded, then laughed lightly. "Yes. And I'm pretty sure he knows I didn't buy his attempted coverup, either."

"Alright. So the thing that gave him away to you could also give you away to him if he thinks about it too deeply. Is that true?"

She considered the situation and then nodded slowly. "It wouldn't be as obvious to him, but if he thought about it in any detail he would know."

"So you know what your third option is."

Sighing, she rested her head in the crook of his neck, her warm breath tickling against his skin as she spoke. "Tell him everything. Confess that I know who he is, and tell him that I am both Ladybug and Multimouse. Then hope he doesn't get too upset."

Luka held her a little tighter. "You think he'll be mad about it?"

"About the fact that I'm both people? No. I don't think he'll be mad at all. But the other night when you had that school thing and I was on patrol with him as Multimouse? He kept telling me how happy he was for us, and that he hoped, one day, to have something like that with Ladybug." Marinette hugged Luka a little tighter. "He's my best friend. My partner. Nobody understands this weird world of Miraculous as he does. We've been together since the beginning, and the last thing I want to do is hurt him. I know that he's been trying to move on with, well, with someone else, but I just don't want to hurt him."

Luka hummed his agreement. He knew how much her partner meant to her. When they started dating, she'd been completely upfront about her relationship with Chat. She didn't know much about his home situation, but she knew it was bad. Well, he thought to himself, she probably knew more now. What she felt for him was completely platonic, but anyone who had seen them together knew how important they were to each other.

The sun was starting to set when Marinette shifted in Luka's lap with a sigh. "I should probably head home. Thank you for listening to me." She leaned in and kissed him softly.

"I'll walk you home."

She smiled up at him. "You know you don't have to."

"I like to. It gives me an excuse to spend more time with you."

Her eyes lit with an idea. "Yes. Come home with me. I'll give you your miraculous."

Grabbing his coat, and an extra hoodie for Marinette, he made sure they were both bundled against the evening chill before they stepped onto dry land. They walked back, hand in hand, and were just passing through the park by the bakery when a voice came out of the dark behind them. Luka whirled stepping to protect Marinette, but she put a reassuring hand on his arm. "Hello, Chat. What brings you out here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you Marinette, but I can see that you're busy."

Marinette looked up at Luka, and he nodded. "I just have something in my room that I need to return to Luka, but after that? Can you give me 15 minutes then meet me on my balcony?"

Chat nodded and took off, and Marinette and Luka walked the rest of the way in silence. They went inside and he greeted her parents, promising that he was just grabbing something from her room and would be leaving soon.

Once they made it upstairs, Marinette pulled out her yarn basket and pulling three strands of yarn, it opened, revealing a black and red spotted egg. At her touch, the egg opened, showing more than a dozen miraculous. Luka gaped as Marinette reached for the teal bracelet that represented the miraculous of the snake. She handed it to him, along with its traditional storage container. "Luka Couffaine. This is the miraculous of the snake, with the power of Second Chance. You will use it for the greater good. For the immediate future, the miraculous will reside with you, but when the need is over, you will return the miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

Both his eyes and his smile were soft as she answered her. "Of course, Marinette. Always." He slid the bracelet onto his wrist and smiled at Sass. "Looks like you'll be hanging with me for a while."

"Of courssssse Masster."

"Nope. None of that. My name is Luka."

"Asss you wish, Luka."

Luka looked over at Marinette, who was smiling at his and Sass's interaction. She leaned into him, intending to give him a chaste kiss, but when he moved to deepen it, she didn't object, pulling him closer, and burying her fingers into his hair. They broke apart when they heard Chat land above their heads. One more kiss, this time as sweet and chaste as the first one was supposed to be, before he pressed his lips to her forehead, and headed downstairs, as she climbed the ladder to the skylight.

Shivering in the cool evening air, she invited him down to her bedroom, where they sat on the chaise, side by side, neither entirely sure where to begin. Finally, Marinette took a deep breath and turned to face her partner. "I'm glad you came by. I wanted to talk to you." Chat tried to cut in, but she held up her hands before he could speak. She looked at him, nervously. "Earlier today I figured out your identity." There was a long pause, before softly she added, "Adrien."

He jerked and turned to face her. "How? I didn't even see you today!"

Marinette laughed. "You did, Kitty. And I don't play the clarinet. You told me you sit in front of me in class."

Chat's brow furrowed in confusion before comprehension dawned. "Ladybug?"

Nodding, Marinette reached her hand out towards him. "Now do you understand why Multimouse can't be a full-time hero? Or a very good backup one? You always told me how much freedom you had in the suit. It wasn't until I put down the responsibilities of Ladybug and took on the role of Multimouse that I understood."

She put her arms around her still stunned partner, hugging him tightly to her. "I didn't think it fair for me to know and you not to. Master Fu was the one who always insisted on keeping secrets. I trust you, Kitty. With my life, and definitely with my secret. You are my partner and my best friend. You have been since the day we became Ladybug and Chat Noir. It's you and me against the world."

"Luka. Does he know?"

Marinette looked at the ground, then back up at her partner's green eyes, and nodded. "I didn't tell him, he figured it out. We were on patrol one day, back before we were even dating, and an akuma appeared. He told me that we needed Ladybug more than Multimouse, and I'd better transform. He even called me Marinette." She shook her head, remembering. "It wasn't any single thing that gave me away. He wasn't even sure until he saw me as Multimouse." She shook her head again.

When she was done speaking Chat reached over, hugging her fiercely. "Alright then, Milady. I guess I will see you at school tomorrow." He was up and halfway through the skylight when he heard her call out from behind him, "Don't you mean clarinet practice?"

He laughed the whole way home.


End file.
